Ruth Tekle

If one were to come up to me and ask about my experience at Fred Hutch I can certainly tell them you can walk out the doors feeling more knowledgeable than when you first came in. Throughout the past two weeks, I was able to experience an opportunity unimaginable which I felt honored to participate in. In the beginning, it felt intimidating to be in a room filled with many intelligent people who spend their days diligently working on their research and studies who can offer so much to the world. However, I realized quickly, that these professional scientists and individuals with PhDs were here to enlighten us, students, the future of science and introduce us to the depths of biology. 

As I took in and enjoyed the program filled with lectures, presentations, lab activities, etc. my main highlight would include conducting the ELISA (Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay) lab. By using this particular test one could measure the antibodies present in someone’s blood which can indicate their response to a type of infection. In this lab, we used an ELISA protocol to test the three different breast cancer biomarkers to determine an effective treatment with a patient sample diagnosed with breast cancer. By using three types of receptors; estrogen, progesterone, and HER2, we were able to test which one of these would the cancerous cells grow in response to. My partner and I were able to detect the patient’s type of breast cancer by using antibodies. Since antibodies are proteins used by the immune system, they assist by binding to a specific antigen that can result to create an immune response. Next, we added a secondary antibody to the biomarkers which were bound to an enzyme in which it unites with the added substrate. To see which receptors the patient sample had, the reaction with the antigens would cause the wells to change color. 

Performing this experiment allowed me to visualize the step-by-step procedure on how scientists and doctors diagnose the type of cancer and it's prognosis. What I liked most about it was how this method can contribute immensely to those currently and how it was able to shape a better understanding of cancer.

While waiting during the incubation steps, we were using the well diagram to visualize the concept of what is happening during the ELISA protocol.

The wells contain the ER, PR, and HER2 receptors. In the first two wells of each section is a “+” for positive control following with two “-” for negative control and the last three wells containing a “P” for patient sample. The blue coloring means there are proteins in those types of receptors whereas the clear wells means it tested negative for it.